Prepared to practice? Perception of career preparation and guidance of recent medical graduates at two campuses of a transnational medical school: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundGraduating medical students enter the workforce with substantial medical knowledge and experience, yet little is known about how well they are prepared for the transition to medical practice in diverse settings. We set out to compare perceptions of medical school graduates’ career guidance with their perceptions of preparedness to practice as interns. We also set out to compare perceptions of preparedness for hospital practice between graduates from two transnational medical schools.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study. A Preparedness for Hospital Practice (PHPQ) survey and career guidance questionnaire was sent to recent medical graduates, incorporating additional free text responses on career preparation. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and tests of association including Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests.ResultsForty three percent (240/555) of graduates responded to the survey: 39 % of respondents were domestic (Dublin, Ireland or Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain) and interning locally; 15 % were overseas students interning locally; 42 % were overseas students interning internationally and 4 % had not started internship. Two variables explained 13 % of the variation in preparedness for hospital practice score: having planned postgraduate education prior to entering medical school and having helpful career guidance in medical school. Overseas graduates interning internationally were more likely to have planned their postgraduate career path prior to entering medical school. Dublin graduates found their career guidance more helpful than Bahrain counterparts. The most cited shortcomings were lack of structured career advice and lack of advice on the Irish and Bahraini postgraduate systems.ConclusionsThis study has demonstrated that early consideration of postgraduate career preparation and helpful medical school career guidance has a strong association with perceptions of preparedness of medical graduates for hospital practice. In an era of increasing globalization of medical education, these findings can direct ongoing efforts to ensure all medical students receive career guidance and preparation for internship appropriate to their destination.

The do’s, don’t and don’t knows of supporting transition to more independent practice

“…The ability to endure uncertainty in new situations is protective and hence preparing new doctors to manage uncertainty seems logical [ 57 ]. Well-received preparations include discussing critical incidents [ 7 , 58 ], providing career advice [ 59 ] as well as clinical aspects of work, such as shadowing opportunities [ 32 , 33 , 60 ]. The benefit of shadowing in a new workplace, alongside clinical skills training, is reported to reduce concerns about commencing work (such as managing acutely ill or dying patients, prescribing, and level of responsibility [ 4 , 40 ]).…”

Crossborder curriculum partnerships: medical students’ experiences on critical aspects

“…Concerns have been raised that crossborder curriculum partnerships carry several risks which may impact students’ learning experiences, well-being, preparation for practice, and future career [10–12]. One potential risk is low quality of curriculum delivery.…”

Intern preparedness for the CanMEDS roles and the Dunning-Kruger effect: a survey

“…In terms of scope, studies have dealt with a single institutions and programmes as well as multiple institutions - ranging from two institutions [3], several institutions [4–6] to an entire country [7–10]. There has also been comparison of two cohorts of the same programme such as where a traditional programme is being replaced by a new one with a problem-based ethos [4, 11–13], or one in a rural setting [14], or those comparing interns who had or had not undergone preparatory short courses [5].…”